CLASSROOM RABBITS: What Do Children Really Learn?

Most of us already know that many rabbits are tragically discarded after the Easter holidays, but did you know that many rabbits are also discarded after the school year ends? Each year, many schools bring small animals into their classrooms as pets. The goal of a classroom pet is to allow children to learn about the animals and to teach responsibility and respect. While this idea is a noble one, the lesson often falls short when teachers forget to learn about the animal before bringing it into the classroom. If you - or someone you know - is considering a rabbit as a classroom pet this school year, please consider the following:

• Rabbits are sensitive to noise. Even the quietest classroom may be too noisy for a rabbit's sensitive ears. Rabbits living in noisy, stressful situations may become ill and withdrawn, or frightened and aggressive. This behaviour often dismays children: the rabbit is no longer considered fun and playful, which often leads to the animal being forgotten, neglected or avoided.
• In addition, rabbits are active in the early morning and evening, and tend to sleep during the day. Consequently, a classroom rabbit is inundated with attention when it is trying to rest, and it ends up being alone - and lonely - at the very times it would be most likely to crave attention.
• Rabbits hide illnesses and decline quickly if ill. Even a very alert and informed rabbit owner can sometimes miss subtle signs of illness. Therefore, it stands to reason that a classroom animal may not receive immediate medical attention if it becomes ill.
• Rabbits have intricate digestive systems and can become very ill if fed inappropriate foods. This can be as simple as too many carrots or as harmful as cookies, chocolate, or a discarded rubber band.
• Lonely classroom rabbit Rabbits have delicate bones and generally do not like to be picked up. Rabbits prefer to interact on ground level. In fact, many rabbits will bite or kick due to an innate fear of being picked up. This may cause injury to the rabbit, such as a broken back or leg - or scratches to the child trying to carry the rabbit. Rabbits must be handled properly: many children, especially young children, are incapable of doing this.
• Rabbits require daily supervised exercise time. Rabbits require sufficient mental and physical stimulation each day to remain healthy. Rabbits who are always caged may become bored, depressed or obese. Children often find this discouraging and lose interest in the animal, and the animal ends up being neglected or abandoned.

Last June our group was contacted by a number of teachers who had classroom rabbits. These rabbits were no longer wanted - and neither the teachers, students or parents wanted to keep the animals for the summer. One rabbit was pregnant after going home on weekends with the students. This rabbit's nails had not been cut throughout the school year and were painfully overgrown. This was a sad case, but perhaps the saddest part was what it taught the students. This animal had not been provided with adequate care by the adults in the situation, therefore the students learned nothing about being responsible for an animal. Even worse, they learned that pets are disposable when they become an "inconvenience."

Does the seemingly dismal life of some classroom pets mean that pets are never appropriate in the classroom? Not necessarily. To successfully integrate a rabbit in the classroom, the following questions must be addressed:

1. Has the teacher or adult in the situation taken the time to learn about the rabbit?
   
2. Who will pay for the hay, vegetables and pellets that a rabbit needs to stay healthy? Who will provide the cage and litter? Rabbits require a cage that is large enough for the rabbit to comfortably stretch out, and the cage must allow room for toys, a litter box, and food and water containers. Rabbits also require a nutritious daily diet of fresh vegetables, good quality pellets and unlimited grass hay.
   
3. Who will take the rabbit to the vet if it becomes ill? Who will pay for veterinary care? While rabbits do not require annual vaccinations, they do need to be examined by a veterinarian if they show signs of illness.
   
4. Who will care for the rabbit on weekends? Holidays? Summer months?
   
5. If the rabbit travels to students' homes, who will restrict its contact with other rabbits to prevent pregnancy? If the rabbit gets pregnant or impregnates another rabbit, who will find good homes for the babies?
   
6. Who will clean the cage and litter box each day? Clip the rabbit's nails as required? Brush the rabbit? Feed and water the rabbit? Supervise while the rabbit exercises?

If the answers to any of these questions are unknown or 'Nobody', then the rabbit should not be brought into the classroom.

When we keep a rabbit as a classroom pet, what lesson does this teach? It is really up to the adult in the situation to determine what the students will learn. If you believe your classroom is suitable for a pet, the Scarborough branch of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a unique classroom foster animal program. The rabbits at the shelter are spayed or neutered before being sent to classrooms, which helps with the rabbits' behaviour as well as the risk of pregnancy. At the beginning of the year the students are taught by shelter staff about rabbit behavior, and how to feed and handle rabbits. The animals belong to the shelter and are returned there during holidays.

In such a situation, the teacher has taken the time to learn about the rabbit and impart this knowledge to the students. Mission accomplished. The students learn to respect animals - not neglect and dispose of them.

Related Article: Rabbits & Children: Are Bunnies Good for Kids?

© 2000 - 2008 Ontario Rabbit Education Organization